aclayonb
Junior Member
Alright, I'll start this off by saying that I really don't feel like I know much about the "why's" of bikes. I do not come from a motorcycling background, I do not have bikers in the family, and I don't "hang" with bikers. My motorcycle experience is solely from my riding and from frame-off rebuilding my last bike. I know "how" to do everything and "why" I do everything but some of the more practical application is lost on me.
I ride to work all summer, which is an hour away doing 70 miles an hour. I understand chain maintenance to mean checking the play in the chain, cleaning, and lubricating the chain every 500 miles. This means that I'm scrubbing and relubing my chain every 3-4 days and changing my oil every 60 days. To me, this seems excessive - or I have the wrong motorcycle. I'm not entirely sure which but this seems like a lot of time spent on maintenance (not that I'm opposed to this....) in the year of our Lord 2015. Am I overdoing this or is this completely normal for everyone else out there?
Second, I normally use PJ1 Black Label chain lube. I read about guys using wax vs lube, etc etc. I'm not attempting to start a lube war, but what is the real difference between liquid snot like PJ1 and a chain "wax" which seems to provide a thicker, more dirt resistant coating?
I ride to work all summer, which is an hour away doing 70 miles an hour. I understand chain maintenance to mean checking the play in the chain, cleaning, and lubricating the chain every 500 miles. This means that I'm scrubbing and relubing my chain every 3-4 days and changing my oil every 60 days. To me, this seems excessive - or I have the wrong motorcycle. I'm not entirely sure which but this seems like a lot of time spent on maintenance (not that I'm opposed to this....) in the year of our Lord 2015. Am I overdoing this or is this completely normal for everyone else out there?
Second, I normally use PJ1 Black Label chain lube. I read about guys using wax vs lube, etc etc. I'm not attempting to start a lube war, but what is the real difference between liquid snot like PJ1 and a chain "wax" which seems to provide a thicker, more dirt resistant coating?